Label showcases music from South Carolina and beyond

Charleston, South Carolina-based cassette label Mirror Universe Tapes has been ahead of the game with releases by Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, Active Child, Yuck, the War on Drugs, and more. "It's basically a lemonade stand," co-founder Ben Ellenburg told me of his label three years ago, and that hand-crafted sensibility still remains. In mid-March, Mirror Universe will start shipping pre-order copies of Whatever It Is You're Doing Now, a limited-edition compilation containing 100 minutes — and two cassettes — of mostly unreleased music by 19 bands from their backyard and beyond. Previously unheard material by Lust for Youth, Xander Harris, Headaches, and Slasher Film Festival Strategy shares time with already-previewed tracks by Southern Femisphere, Boring Portals, M. Sage, and more. The sound ranges from garage-rock to ambient drones, with plenty of worthwhile stops in between.